April is Fraud Prevention Month and police in Michigan warn of a fast-growing scam targeting seniors.

Law enforcement authorities said cryptocurrency kiosks and ATMs are becoming a major tool for scammers. According to AARP, con artists are costing Michiganders millions of dollars.

Capt. Colleen Hopper of the Sterling Heights Police Department exposed the popular tactic scammers use to persuade victims to send them money.

"They'll befriend somebody via Facebook," Hopper explained. "Then the scammer will end up talking the person into sending them cryptocurrency, depositing cash and getting the crypto wallet to them so they can fly to come see them, demanding more and more money."

Police said the scams range from fake virus alerts and romance schemes to bogus tax demands and “you’ve won a prize” offers but they all push victims to crypto kiosks. And because many of the criminals are overseas, they're hard to trace. Seniors are urged to slow down, verify, and never send money under pressure.

Police pointed out even for people who use cryptocurrency legitimately, there is no reason to go through a kiosk but scammers rely on the machines to walk victims through transactions. Hopper also warned the criminals are now using artificial intelligence to mimic voices, making the schemes even more convincing.

"If you just say hello or say it briefly, AI is really good at imitating your voice or your grandson's voice, convincing you that they're in jail and they need cryptocurrency to get out of jail, which is not a thing," Hopper cautioned. "We would never do that."

Authorities said if you are unsure, call your local police department before sending anything because once the money is sent, there may be no way to get it back.

Source: Public News Service